The present invention relates to swivelable faucet spouts which deliver water or other fluids to selected basins. More particularly it relates to an assembly for attaching such spouts in an ornamentally desirable fashion without compromising the ability of the spout to swivel.
Many sinks have a spout that is capable of swiveling for the convenience of the user. For example, a swiveling spout can be swung to the side to allow for the insertion of large objects (e.g. a large pot) into the sink basin for cleaning. Swiveling spouts are also frequently used with sinks having multiple or segmented basins, as a swiveling spout allows the user to direct water from the spout into each of the basins as desired.
Various considerations need to be made in the construction of such a swiveling spout. For example, the spout should smoothly swivel from side to side without unpleasant sounds or uneven resistance to movement. On the other hand, the spout must be restrained from separating from the faucet structure even when subjected to water pressure during use.
Many conventional methods of retaining a swiveling spout compromise the aesthetics of the spout. In some assemblies, the swiveling spout includes visible screws threaded through the spout that are used to retain the spout to some aspect of the fixed plumbing.
In other assemblies (see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,997,008 and 5,873,387), a large retaining nut is used to secure the spout to the fixed plumbing or some other fixed body such an escutcheon. This places substantial ornamental constraints on the appearance of the design.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,468,315 it was proposed to use a split spring ring mounted on a swivelable spout to connect a swivel spout to a faucet body with a snap connection. However, the ring over time would wear against the valve body material creating undesirable swiveling resistance, and/or an undesirable sound when the spout swiveled.
Addressing such problems could raise complexities given that any solution preferably was something implementable on an automated production line, and/or needed to meet design criteria which needed reliability after installation for a decade or more, without creating still other problems such as leakage.
Accordingly, there still exists a need for improving the manner in which swivelable faucet spouts are mounted to valve bodies or water supplies.